Mo Farah: Andy Vernon questioned my nationality

Farah finished ahead of Vernon over 10,000 metres in Zurich last summer.

The pair were embroiled in a row on Twitter earlier this week, with Farah branding Vernon an “embarrassment” after he criticised the field lined up to face the double Olympic champion in Birmingham at the weekend.

Farah, who was born in Somalia, said: “We were sitting down together with a number of staff and athletes.

“One comment he made, which I didn’t really like, was to say that he should have won the gold. I was like: ‘What, the gold should have been given to you?’ And I was like: ‘Because he was the only European guy?’

“You can’t say something like that. I was just kind of biting my tongue at the time.”

Vernon admitted making the comments, but insisted that it was an “outrageous misrepresentation of the chat”.

“What I did say was complete tongue-in-cheek,” said Vernon. “I said: ‘I’m European champion.’ That was it. I don’t discard him as British – it’s complete lies.

“His management team have been very snide at making me out to be a bad guy. He laughed at the time. If he did take it out of context it wasn’t meant that way and I apologise.”

“I’ve known Mo for 12 years. We weren’t best of friends but we were pals. I was delighted when we finished first and second in the 10,000m and I celebrated with him.

“There’s nothing more I would like right now than a two-way press conference when we can discuss what happened because what he said is not what I said. He has played the cheap shot. He has played the card. I don’t know what I can do.”

Farah is racing over two miles at the Sainsbury’s Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix on Saturday where he hopes to get near Kenenisa Bekele's world record of eight minutes and four seconds.